Hello little nerds, here is a new chapter of my story that I hope yall will enjoy. Should I have this fic just end up being one long piece for every book or should I split it up like an actual book? As usual I own nothing except new characters and ideas, I make no money from writing, and all rights belong to the rightful owners. Leave a review if you'd like.
I barely was able to sleep that night, fear and adrenaline made my heart hammer, sparking me to life. It felt like boundless energy was surging through me.
I woke early in the morning with Chris, we dressed and walked from the dorms where most of the other initiates slept. Not many were early risers like Chris, not even Tris was.
Things were peaceful and quiet for a short time, other dauntless soon waking up and milling around waiting for the chefs to start breakfast. As we circled back to the chasm, wanting to feel the cool spray of water its raging waters offered, a shrill scream echoed off the walls.
Without thought we ran forward, a dauntless born initiate held her chest as if she had been shot; her mouth agape in horror as she gazed into the chasm. Others were racing forward, everyone trying to get a look at what had happened.
There was a body in the chasm, sickly pale and bloated. The person was obviously male, he was rather large too. His thick limbs were bent at unnatural angles, his face permanently etched with the trace of pain and terror. His swollen blue tinted face was painfully familiar.
"Al…" Chris choked, my throat tight and suddenly dry. My ears rung, the only sound distinguishable was the roar of the water and the sobs of my friend. My stomach churned and my eyes burned, my cheeks wet with what I assumed were tears I hadn't felt falling.
Suicide. Someone who we considered our friend committed suicide. It didn't feel real; the world was tipping oddly and I didn't feel like I was in my own body anymore.
Chris had left my side, how long ago I didn't know but soon she was dragging Tris from the corridor. Tris wasn't crying. I understood why, he had attacked her, attempted to kill her by this same cruel manner.
Peter was at my side before Chris was, his arms around me even though he didn't have much strength left in him. "Alessa, I'm so sorry…" sadness wouldn't describe this feeling, not at all. Maybe guilt, shame, numb. If I had only seen warning signs, if only I had done something then maybe Tris wouldn't have been attacked, maybe our friend would still be here laughing with us and getting tattoos after training…
"I…I could have…he would still…" I choked, Peter pulled back and looked into my eyes. Our eyes matched in color but his held so much pain, so much regret, so much sadness. I had failed him more than anyone. I thought he was a monster, I thought this was actually him. I nearly abandoned the only person I've ever had, the person who protected me from our parents and from strange guys. My loving brother, I thought he was gone.
Peters skin was so pale and cold, the bags under his eyes deep and nearly black. He had been losing weight again, he couldn't be more than 120 now. Sobs racked my body as I clutched onto what was left of him. "I'm so sorry Peter, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you…" my words barely audible, his grip on me tightened.
"You were, you tried but I was horrible…that stuff made me evil, made me act like a monster but you still stuck up for me. You believed there was something wrong, that I was still me. Maybe you doubted it, god I did…I thought I was going insane…"
"We should have never come here, we should have stayed in candor, we should have gone to amity…you would have been safe there…"
"But here we're going to make a difference, here you've made friends that will help us. Just hold on a little longer, we can lean on each other. Please."
Two men are hoisting Al's body up, Chris and Tris stand closer than I dare. I didn't need to see every gory detail nor did I want to.
Carelessly his limp, bloated body is dropped to the pit floor with a sickening wet thud. I nearly lose my balance and fall to my knees but my brother holds me up. They turn his body over, his lifeless eyes staring up at the high ceiling. My blood curdles, my heart drops into my churning stomach, I turn my head into Peter who gasps at the sight of Al.
"One of the initiates," says someone in front of us. "What happened?"
"Same thing that happens every year," someone else replies. "He pitched himself over the ledge."
"Don't be so morbid. Could have been an accident."
"They found him in the middle of the chasm. You think he tripped over his shoelace and…whoopsies, just stumbled fifteen feet forward?"
I wanted to scream, launch myself at them, make them regret talking about him like he's nothing. Peter held tighter as I tried jerking from his grasp, "Calm down." He whispered.
Someone kneels next to Al's face and pushes his eyelids shut. Trying to make it look like he's sleeping, maybe. Stupid. Why do people want to pretend that death is sleep? It isn't. It isn't.
He wouldn't sleep and when he did he screamed and cried and thrashed…he was too still now, too pale, too swollen.
I choked back another sob, nearly a scream now, Peter must have decided it was time to leave. He was pulling me away from the scene, his arms still tightly around me, it didn't feel like he'd ever let go.
We sit on his bed in the dorm, his blanket wrapped around us while we sit in silence. I'm no longer sobbing but hot tears still trickle down my face, my nose is stuffed making it harder to breathe. My body trembles from sadness or cold I couldn't tell, Peter rocks us as he runs his fingers through my hair in an attempt to calm me.
I couldn't help but think of how much I missed him being my brother, caring about what was going on. Sadly, Molly walks in with a smirk. She goes on about an article Jeanine had written about Tris' father, how he probably abused her and that's why she actually left home. "And now she's down there all sad about her little dead friend, pathetic."
Peter couldn't hold me back this time, she looked like she already had a bruise forming on her cheek. I lunged and knocked her to the ground, my fists cracking her nose and jaw as they smashed into her face repeatedly until Peter pulled me off. "You're disgusting, pathetic, ignorant, you should have been the one to throw themselves over the chasm!" I spat, venom coating every word, "You're crazy and I can't wait to see your world come crashing down around you." Snarling as Peter pulled me back and onto the bed.
"Get the fuck out of here, Molly. Don't even dare talking to me or my sister again, in fact don't even talk to her friends or I'll make you regret it." My brothers voice was lethal, fear seeped into Molly's' blood covered face. She scrambled to get up and escape the dorm before one of us snapped.
"I'm sorry." He sighed as he wiped blood from my cheek, "I don't know why I ever hung out with her or Drew, maybe I was crazy, maybe the serum woke me up more than I realized." Relief flooded me, hearing those words made me believe that he was going to be okay and was going to survive this.